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Miranda/Native Species
Like all other planets that Humanity has settled on, Miranda comes with it's own Biodiverse species that humanity embraces and learn to not only live with but in many cases cultivate for export. Miranda has no pollinating insects or earth worms to work the soil so the humans have to be careful of the native species that perform these functions. All new worlds have conservation zones on the one inhabited continent, these are used to protect and nurture the native species. Animals Panda Mice A benign animal that sleeps in smelly locations, most notably in shoes, to protect itself from predators. As Miranda has no native insect life a Panda Mouse is part of the plant pollination cycle. that their long, black and white fur, and huge soulful eyes,''Edwards, Janet. Frontier: An Epsilon Sector Novella (p. 16). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition Their main predator is the Miranda Blind Weasel which hunts with it's sense of smell, which is why Panda Mice are always looking for a smelly place to sleep. Besides shoes, the Panda Mouse nestles in the center of the Miranda Cabbage plant. Flutterfly "...''sparkling clouds of tiny sapphire, emerald and ruby colored flutterflies performing their midair mating dance"Edwards, Janet. Frontier: An Epsilon Sector Novella (pp. 40-41). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition. The worm like larvae of the nocturnal flutterflies works the soil in the same way an earthworm does. Moon Monkey They are organized in troops with young male scouts that look for new feeding grounds. Once they find them, they give a loud call to the troop to come and get it. They are part of the pollination cycle, see Mirandan Almonds. They must be kept away from Earth Apples. Mirandan Ostrich Safe to eat their eggs at least. Pink Hummingbirds The Pink Hummingbirds have some touches of blue on the head. Very similar to Earth’s hummingbirds except the color. Before Planet First operation, this planet had savage gliding lizard like creatures that preyed on the birds. The Military removed all of these lizards on the inhabited continent. The birds that had survived in off shore islands that the lizards couldn’t reach were starting to spread back to the main continent again. Plants and Trees Trees It appears that on the inhabited continent at least there is only one variety of tree. It is a very fast growing, shallow root tree, with a scally trunk and large greenish-red fronds on top Crops Miranda Cabbage This is an edible plant that is cultivated as a crop. It is also very important to the Moon Monkey's diet so is often used as a companion plant to other crops. It is edible for humans. Mirandan Almonds The luxury food markets in Alpha and Beta Sectors paid high prices for Mirandan Almonds ''“The key thing is allowing for the acid balance of the moon monkey digestive system,” I said. “You have to get moon monkeys to eat the acidic, first stage false fruits to fertilize the bushes before the second stage almonds will develop. The moon monkeys need to eat both clay and Mirandan cabbage to stop them getting indigestion, so …”''Edwards, Janet. Frontier: An Epsilon Sector Novella (p. 31). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition. The problem is to get the Moon Monkeys to come to the fields to eat the false fruits. It requires plantings of Miranda cabbage and pools of watery clay among the almond bushes. Once the conditions are right the Monkeys will descend on the false fruit and ensuring a good final crop of Almond like nuts. ''“…If they came to eat the ripening false fruits, their eagerly nibbling teeth would break open the pollen pods hidden under each fruit. Those would explode, covering the moon monkey’s glowing faces and long red tongues with sticky yellow almond pollen, to be carried on with them from bush to bush.”''Edwards, Janet. Frontier: An Epsilon Sector Novella (p. 46). Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition. Miranda Limes Red Fire Plums References Category:Sectors and Planets